Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Massa Outlines Ethics Reforms In Response To Brizzi Corruption

Seeking to put distance between himself and Marion Co. Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, GOP prosecutor candidate Mark Massa outlined a series of ethics reforms he will implement if he is elected prosecutor. At a press conference this morning, Massa called on Brizzi to resign his office. "I'm very concerned about what reports like this do to public confidence," he told the Star. "Very simply, you cannot have a prosecutor taking a 50-percent interest with no money down on a $1 million office building (in a deal with) a defense attorney." "This is not simply an academic question. We're starting to see the consequences of this in court," Massa said,

The ethics reform plan outlined by Massa includes:

- Creating and overseeing a Public Integrity Unit within the Prosecutor’s office (Massa is a former federal prosecutor).
- Establishing a hotline at Grand Jury Division to report malfeasance by public employees or officials and aggressively prosecute it if/when found.
- Working with Mayor and City-County Council to make Prosecutor’s office subject to the county ethics ordinance, like all other city and county offices (Marion County Prosecutor’s Office currently exempt.)
- Will not have any outside business interests.
- Will not serve on boards of for-profit companies.
- Will not allow deputy prosecutors to pursue outside employment without authorization.
- Will not accept gifts of any kind as Prosecutor.

UPDATE: Brizzi reacted angrily to Massa's call for his resignation, calling it a "political stunt." He vowed to stay and fight the bad guys until his term expires. It's about time the Indiana Supreme Court stepped in and used its authority to discipline attorneys who misbehave and take appropriate action against Brizzi. How can they expect us to respect our criminal justice system with Brizzi acting as the state's top prosecutor?

12 comments:

Blog Admin said...

While I believe Massa will burden the sins of Brizzi, he's looking to be an excellent candidate. I'll enthusiastically vote for him, and encourage others to do so, but I don't think he'll win. Brizzi has done too much damage to the office that the Dems will have to try to lose this race.

karma09 said...

Fox 59 is now reporting Tom John has agreed w/ the call for resignation.

My repeated question for Massa is whether Wyser, chief trial deputy/ author and architect of the Willoughby/ Epperly scam/ agreeing to the Mobarecki plea deal, should also resign? Does Wyser have a job in a Massa administration?

Wyser is trying to bring the Brizzi Way to Hamilton County, but keeps showing up as a key player in these dirty deals. He's fair game, and Massa should have an opinion on Wyser's fitness for duty at MCPO right now, regardless of any HC aspirations.

Concerned Taxpayer said...

When Brizzi was first introduced to our GOP club by Scott Newman, he was so meek he barely said a word.
Then the power got to him.

M Theory said...

The democrats are just as corrupt.

InquiringMind said...

Go Massa!

Unknown said...

The Star states Carl is in California now. Considering Dan Laikin's sentencing this week was just postponed AGAIN Carl must be wondering what else is going to happen. Would make sense he would want to discuss his strategy in person with Tim Durham. After all, Tim had such good advice for Carl on when and how to buy a massive position in Cellstar right before Brightpoint bought them (you know Brightpoint is run by the brother of Dan Laikin, the guy above who is going to prison soon.)

arl should quit. Now.

But, he won't. Why would he? He can plow along for 7 3/4 months and collect a nice pension. Even if he were charged, he would not be convicted in that time frame so he qualifies for the pension. And, with the income coming from the Elkhart deal, which by the way was an $825k building (see link) that he is receiving approximately $280k a year on a triple net lease (that is where the tenant pays 100% of maintenance, taxes, you name it)--a 30%+ return, in this economy, and in Elkhart!-- he has it made. Don't forget all that moolah $$$ he made on Cellstar and the other real estate deals he scored along the way with his importantly, connected job as Prosecutor. And, of course the rumored DUI overturning of the golfcart, the rumored drunk crash of the Durham Viper he allegedly crashed and borrowed that was allegedly towed over to the garage at 117 N East Street....he didn't get spanked for any of that!

Not bad for a guy who was getting sued in 2004 for not paying his kids gymnastics bills at Carmel Gymnastics.

You have to hand it to the brood in Indy. White Collar Crime DOES pay.

Carl's timely purchase of an Elkhart building just in time to ink a 10 year lease with Child Care Services!In a NO MONEY DOWN partnership with a defense attorney with active cases in front of the prosecutors office! Oh, and wait, doesn't that defense attorney have a smoking hot condo in Naples, Florida in LA SCALA???? Didn't Carl allegedly have another little issue called LA SCALA???? No one's dropped that bomb yet but I'm sure it's coming!!!!

Isn't Indy fun!!!

1659 Mishawaka St., Elkhart, $825,000, Abnikcar LLC; sold to L&BAB LLC, April 18.

Bill said...

Lisa, Way cool post. Im surprised that many people know about the Viper accident.He kept that one real quiet.From waht I was told, he was toase didnt kow how to get out of the Viper.

Those Garage guys, they love to tell about all of the famous people they have in their garage

He will not resign, there is too much money at stake for his retirement.

I think that you must be right about meeting with Durham.Dont most people go to Florida during spring break? Maybe he is out there with Durham playing with Cato Kalin and the Penthouse pets.

Jennifer would not like that

Unknown said...

Why is David Wyser not being brought into the Mobareki case - He took fundraising dollars from Paul Page as well right around the time of a portion of the funds being returned to the criminal?

Not to mention that in both sentence modifications, Willoughby and Guilford Forney, Wyser received campaign donations right around the time he signed...from Epperly and Barnes & Thornburg.

I realize that your focus is more on Carl Brizzi and Marion County but with Wyser running for Hamilton County Prosecutor - someone needs to take a stand against this guy otherwise the cycle will just continue in another county.

Also, Wyser is still be investigated for Little Hatch Violations...

So frustrating....

Indy4U2C said...

Rules of Professional Conduct for Indiana Attorneys 8.4 MISCONDUCT: "It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:

(d) engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice;

(e) state...an ability to influence improperly a government agency...to achieve results by means that violate the Rules of Professional Conduct or other law;"

That said, let's see:

Would using the office of prosecutor to have a MURDER sentence substantially reduced after receiving substantial "donation" by the family of the convict be a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct?

Would using power of elected office to allow an incredibly lenient sentence for a drug dealer that substantially deviates from the usual and customary sentence for such crime...when the defense attorney of that case (wink, wink) happens to be engaged in a "special" joint venture with the elected prosecutor wherein a 50-percent interest with no money down on a $1 million office building that defense counsel and prosecutor are partners with indicate anything wrong?

I'm sure that when the elected prosecutor personally intervened on behalf of defense, ordering the assigned deputy prosecutor to offer a plea bargain that was a substantially lenient deviation from similar cases, it had nothing to do with the deal the elected prosecutor was benefitting from with defense counsel (NOT!)

I'm sure the elected prosecutor would intervene personally in any case (not just when his business partner is representing defendant) and order his deputy prosecutor to allow forfeiture money to be used to pay defense attorney's (elected prosecutor business partner's) fee is a usual and customary practice that has no impropriety nor violation of the code either...

Downtown Indy said...

So Brizzi is in California?

Anywhere near where Durham is living?

Marycatherine Barton said...

Rule 8.4, Misconduct, you betcha!

Yea for Mark Massa's grand press conference. Also, his ethics reform plan is elementary, very good. Can't wait to see what plans the other candidates for county prosecutor come up with.

I know said...

Now that Carl has called out Tom John in the Star and said Mr. John should not be throwing stones the gloves are off!

The street fight is going to start getting real bad and names will start crawling out of locked and zippered bags and the skeletons in the closets will start rattling now!

The real estate deals Carl's office has covered up that wealthy people have done with the State of Indiana and defaulted will creep out and they are far greater in liability to the tax payers than the mess Carl has himself in.

If I were some of the friends and family Carls knows about who are playing the same fast and furious game I would be real worried right now with the Attorney call out and throw down that has started!